Tech Companies
Tax avoidance by large multinational tech companies has been one of the most important tax stories of the last decade.
The digitisation of the economy has created more opportunities for companies to shift profits offshore and sparked a series of initiatives by the OECD and governments around the world to reform their tax systems.
Our aim is to research and monitor the tax strategies of large multinational tech companies in order to better inform both the public and policy makers.
Private equity scores a huge Labour tax climbdown
Rachel Reeves gives unprecedented new tax discount to a few thousand fund managers worth nearly £500m a year by 2028-29 by moving, rather than closing, the ‘carried interest’ loophole
Raising Standards in the UK Tax Advice Market: The Government’s next steps appear to be a march into the long grass
The Government’s next steps to regulate and improve standards in the UK tax advice market betray the aims and findings of the recent consultation and demonstrate a lack of political will on the issue.
Declaring an interest – why HMRC’s hike in charges on late paid tax is so concerning
Autumn Budget increases interest charge on late paid tax debt, exacerbating problems with those struggling to pay. Interest seems to be used to raise revenue and drive compliance, a concerning development.
TaxWatch’s initial reaction to Autumn Budget 2024
Rachel Reeves’ first Autumn Budget makes for a mixed bag of delivering a fairer tax system whilst raising government revenue
New statistics show £300m lost to offshore tax gap on over 7million accounts held overseas likely to be gross underestimate
HMRC’s first estimate of the offshore tax gap for 2018, seems a wild underestimate at just £300 million based on questionable methodological choices.
State of Tax Administration 2024: Rising tax debts, falling customer services and misfiring compliance
TaxWatch launches our State of Tax Administration report, analysing HMRC’s performance in 2023-24
New statistics show HMRC’s clampdown on R&D claims beginning to take effect
Latest HMRC figures show the cost of R&D relief claims increasing but in relation to fewer claims being made for 2022-23. This implies HMRC’s compliance changes are discouraging claims that are less likely to be qualifying, especially those of lower value or in particular sectors.
Sweet Deception: £4.4bn tax evasion leaves a sour taste for HMRC
NAO calls out HMRC for not having a strategic plan on tax evasion.
Unveiling the latest Box office smash hit: Creative industry tax relief reach record highs
Record levels of tax relief claimed by the creative industries sector in 2023. The reliefs are now dominated by fewer, extremely large, claims for film and ‘high-end’ TV programmes. TaxWatch questions whether these reliefs offer good value for money given the profitability of expensive productions in light of changes to the Audio Visual Expenditure Credit.
The SME R&D tax relief scheme: lessons in how not to implement a tax relief
Once again, the National Audit Office qualified HMRC’s accounts due to a “material level of error and fraud in Corporation Tax research and development reliefs”. Whilst the good news is that the estimated error rate within the relief is coming down it remains unacceptably high. It has taken years for HMRC to admit there were problems, despite plenty of warnings, and action has been too slow to avoid the situation getting totally out of hand.
Mining the gap
TaxWatch analyses the latest tax gap data and examines manifesto pledges to narrow the gap to see whether they represent credible plans to increase tax revenues
HMRC’s 2024 Tax Gap report: Amount of tax going unpaid hits record high at £39.8bn in 2022-23
TaxWatch analyses the latest Tax Gap publication, noting it has reached £40bn in 2022-23 yet still doesn’t cover offshore matters
TaxWatch’s summary of the UK General Election party manifestos
TaxWatch reflects on the party manifestos for the upcoming General Election
The uncertain future of the UK’s Digital Services Tax
TaxWatch reflects on the Liberal Democrat proposal to hike Digital Services Tax
New age related Personal Allowance – rolling back the years?
Conservative Party to re-introduce age related allowances: TaxWatch’s thoughts on the proposal
What happens to the Finance Bill now an election’s been called?
The abrupt end to the Parliamentary session leaves several key Finance Bill clauses to the final washup day.
Can’t or won’t? HMRC’s lack of openness with recent FOI requests
HMRC is being elusive about the amounts due on specific offshore compliance penalties, providing confusing answers to Freedom of Information requests.
Will £51m really fix HMRC’s customer service helpline?
The Treasury’s additional funding for HMRC customer service is just a sticking plaster over an ingrained problem that needs a longer-term strategy and consistency of funding to resolve.
Are we nearly there yet? In search of the elusive offshore tax gap
HMRC now says offshore tax gap data will be published in June 2024, two years after the government announced it and a year after the information was due.
How to create a world class tax authority
TaxWatch published an article in Taxation magazine last week about the launch of the Funding the Nation report by ARC, the union for senior staff within HMRC.
Is HMRC fighting the right fight on avoidance schemes?
While HMRC appears to have stepped up activity against the promotion of tax avoidance arrangements, it seems that increased civil action is at best only containing the total number of schemes.
Gold plating tax reliefs for the silver screen
What are the implications of the additional fiscal support given to the creative industries in the Spring Budget, and do the changes provide value for money?
Latest Government consultation grapples with how to regulate tax advisers
TaxWatch introduces the latest Government consultation into regulating tax advice market.
TaxWatch responds to the Spring Budget 2024
The TaxWatch team focuses its thoughts on a few areas of the Budget statement it found particularly interesting, from a tax compliance and administration standpoint.
Would scrapping furnished holiday let tax benefits really raise £300m?
Abolishing preferential tax rules for furnished holiday lets owners will only raise the speculated revenue if the compliance rules are carefully thought out.
Fit for the future: Does HMRC have the right staff skills and technology?
HMRC’s effectiveness is being held back by legacy IT systems, staff and pay reductions and a lack of effective workforce planning.
Mind the gap: How to collect the right tax?
There are fundamental issues around the subject of compliance for HMRC, which needs, among other things, a proper workforce plan with trained and motivated staff able to deal with all aspects of compliance.
Seeing the wood from the trees: Putting HMRC wealthy compliance statistics in context
A report about trends in case numbers opened by a niche HMRC team requires a bit of context to judge whether the question it poses is the correct one.
Hanging on the telephone: The front line of HMRC’s customer service?
HMRC’s increasingly poor telephone service is impacting its ability to collect the right amount of tax and damaging the wider economy.
Taxing online selling: What’s really changing?
Misunderstandings and confusing media coverage last week have created uncertainty about how transactions made via online platforms such as Vinted, Ebay and Airbnb should be taxed.
TaxWatch launches regulatory complaint against Mr Douglas Barrowman
TaxWatch has lodged a formal complaint to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland in respect of its member, Douglas Barrowman.
How much tax did multinational companies underpay in the UK last year?
A recent story about multinational companies underpaying billions of pounds of UK tax caught our attention, but it turns out the figures aren’t quite what they seem.
Research & Development tax reliefs – never getting any easier
The government’s Autumn Statement 2023 continues to increase the complexity and administrative burden of the UK R&D regime.
TaxWatch responds to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement 2023
Amongst the theatrical showmanship that characterises UK fiscal events TaxWatch pulls out a few of the more interesting announcements made in today’s Autumn Statement.
Investment allowances: Greasing the oil industry’s machine?
The extremely high level of tax relief available to the UK’s oil and gas companies compared to all other businesses has the potential to distort private sector investment, TaxWatch believes.
TaxWatch welcomes proposals to tackle promoters of tax avoidance
Two proposals in the draft Finance Bill 2023-24 aimed at tackling promoters of tax avoidance have been welcomed by TaxWatch.
TaxWatch releases latest report on the State of Tax Administration
Our latest annual report explores the UK Government’s administration and enforcement of the tax system.
Seven large tech groups estimated to have dodged £2bn in UK tax in 2021
New TaxWatch analysis shows how they appear to use complex tax driven structures to reduce their UK corporation tax.
TaxWatch’s view on Labour’s proposed Covid corruption commissioner
While it’s great news Labour is focusing on tackling fraud, real success depends on fully-funded public services to take appropriate action in those cases.
Holiday let tax rules allow owners to escape thousands of pounds in tax
The tax treatment of furnished holiday properties appears inappropriately generous and could encourage houses to be locked away to save thousands of pounds in taxes.
‘Our tax system is too complicated’ concludes Treasury Committee report on tax reliefs
The Treasury Select Committee has published a report into tax reliefs which calls for regular reviews and the removal of some.
Around £1bn per year lost to fraud and error in R&D tax relief claims
HMRC’s initial data into R&D tax relief claims shows significant underestimates in previous calculations of fraud and error in the schemes.
HMRC’s 2023 Tax Gap report: Proportion of tax going unpaid unchanged from previous year
The amount of tax lost in the 2021-22 financial year was 4.8% of the total tax owed, the same figure as the previous year.
Public Accounts Committee says HMRC not doing enough to deter tax cheats
HMRC must do more to deter and punish tax cheats.
Beyond the Loan Charge: Will the most recent proposals finally shut down disguised remuneration schemes?
HMRC estimates that 31,000 people used disguised remuneration schemes in 2020-21.
Can a posse of professional bodies clean up tax dodge city?
What – if anything – can be done about professionals that break the rules?
HMRC tax defaulting tax advisor reported to two professional bodies
TaxWatch complains to professional bodies about deliberate tax defaulter.
Director of suspected HMRC tax avoidance scheme continues to be member of professional body
An accountant ‘named and shamed’ by HMRC for alleged involvement in tax avoidance schemes is still a member of ICAEW.
Video Games Tax Relief costs five times as much as forecast
Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) cost a record £197m last year, more than five times as much as it was anticipated to cost.
Public Account Committee questions resourcing of HMRC
A new PAC report argues that the government is “missing the opportunity to recover billions”
TaxWatch give evidence at Treasury Select Committee
TaxWatch Acting Director Alex Dunnagan gave evidence to the Treasury Select Committee on 19th December highlighting the abuse of tax reliefs.
ITR Global Tax 50 2022: Alex Dunnagan
Acting Director Alex Dunnagan has featured in International Tax Review’s list of the 50 most influential figures in global tax.
Opportunities Missed – Autumn Statement 2022
The Chancellor has missed an opportunity to close the tax gap.
TaxWatch submits regulatory complaints against arms dealer’s adviser.
TaxWatch’s third complaint to the professional bodies.
Funding of Taxpayer Protection Taskforce raises serious issues
The failure of Sunak’s taskforce highlights concerns over how HMRC compliance is funded.
Cross-party MPs call time on feeble approach to tax avoidance and urge HMRC to prosecute tax fraudsters
New report argues how supposedly ‘legal’ tax avoidance could actually be prosecuted as tax fraud
Tax Gap Op-Ed in HMRC Magazine
We have recently had an op-ed published in the magazine HMRC Enquiries, Investigations and Powers.
We need to talk about Corporation Tax
No, the UK is not set to become a high-tax global outlier.
HMRC publishes its 2022 Tax Gap – TaxWatch analysis
HMRC’s Tax Gap increases for second year in a row on a like-for-like basis.
Differing approaches to combating marketed tax avoidance schemes
HMRC’s record on tackling marketed tax avoidance schemes over the last 10 years.
Amazon – Public money but no public scrutiny
Investors have a chance to increase transparency in Amazon’s tax affairs.
Another record year for Rockstar Games Tax Relief (RGTR)
Rockstar games claimed £68.4m in VGTR in 2020-2021, almost double what the whole relief was set to cost on a yearly basis.
TaxWatch launches regulatory complaint against Mr Arthur Lancaster of AML
TaxWatch has lodged a complaint concerning Arthur Lancaster, Director of AML Tax (UK) Limited, and Director of the Knox House Trust of the Isle of Man.
Organised Crime in the Department of Health and Social Care supply chain
TaxWatch is calling on the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to investigate the fraudulent use of Mini Umbrella Companies in its procurement process.
HMRC’s record on covid support and tax fraud under the microscope
HMRC’s record on tax fraud has been questioned by two select committees and in several parliamentary debates in recent weeks
TaxWatch launches annual report on state of tax administration
TaxWatch is today launching its annual report on the state of tax administration in the UK.
TaxWatch launches complaint against “Mr Red”
TaxWatch has submitted a complaint to the Tax Disciplinary Panel about the conduct of an individual identified as “Mr Red” in the case of Murray Group Holdings vs HMRC.
The gift that keeps on giving
GTA developer takes close to 50% of all video game tax relief in 2020.
HMRC reveals new estimate for Covid fraud recovery
Three-quarters of Covid support claimed in fraud and error won’t be collected
Funding to fight covid related tax and benefits fraud
Analysis by TaxWatch has found that the DWP is spending more than twice the amount being spent by HMRC on recovering an increase in fraudulent payments arising from the pandemic.
Use of disguised remuneration avoidance schemes more than doubled after Loan Charge
New analysis shows that the number of users of disguised remuneration schemes has increased dramatically despite government attempts to legislate against the schemes.
TaxWatch challenges HMRC over “sweetheart” deal with GE
TaxWatch has launched the first stage of legal proceedings against HMRC over their decision to settle a £1bn tax fraud dispute with GE.
How should HMRC treat the victims of tax fraud?
HMRC’s policy of “process now check later” can easily be abused by fraudsters.
The Diverted Profits Tax and Tackling Offshore Promoters of Tax Avoidance
A TaxWatch Briefing on the Finance Bill 2021-2022.
Budget 2021 – Four tax takeaways
We analyse the Autumn budget, looking at compliance work, promoters of tax avoidance, R&D relief, and the environment.
Video Games Tax Relief – 2021 Update
£180m paid out in Video Games Tax Relief last year, the vast majority to large multinationals.
US set to raise $8.5bn from four tech companies following global tax deal
US Government set to raise 3x more than rest of the world combined in tax payments from four tech companies after Global Tax Deal.
G7 tax deal represents a tax cut for big tech in the UK – new analysis
A new analysis from TaxWatch has demonstrated that tech giants will end up paying less tax under the proposals put forward by the G7 than they are currently liable for under the digital services tax.
TaxWatch calls for scrutiny over “sweetheart” tax deal between HMRC and GE
TaxWatch has written to the PAC, the NAO, and the Treasury Committee, requesting that inquiries be held into an out of court settlement between HMRC and General Electric (GE).
Undue influence by multinational corporations in the UK
TaxWatch research has been published by Transparency International, looking at the UK’s reform of its Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) regime.
Tax Fraud Gap at least £15.2bn in 2020
An analysis of HMRC’s latest Tax Gap estimates by TaxWatch has found that the amount of tax lost to fraud in 2020 was at least £15.2bn.
GE Tax Fraud Case to be heard by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has granted permission to HMRC to appeal a decision of the Court of Appeal preventing the tax authority from making allegations of fraud against GE in relation to an ongoing tax dispute.
Tech giants undermine African countries by failing to collect VAT
African countries are missing out on significant tax revenues because multinational tech giants are failing to collect and pay VAT on services.
Will Facebook, Google, eBay and Amazon pay more in UK tax under the new global tax deal?
TaxWatch analysis shows that package agreed at the G7 would lead to a tax cut for tech companies subject to the Digital Services Tax.
Eight tech companies in the UK avoided an estimated £1.5bn in 2019 – New Research
Eight tech companies made an estimated £9.6bn in profit from sales to UK customers in 2019, yet only faced corporation tax liabilities of £297 million.
The Deloitte Disaggregation
Deloitte and Sports Direct’s major international VAT avoidance scheme revealed.
TaxWatch intervenes in GE tax fraud case
TaxWatch has taken the preliminary step to intervene in a Supreme Court case between HMRC and General Electric (GE).
Furlough fraud to cost up to £7bn – with no civil penalties issued yet
Despite the cost of furlough fraud running into the billions HMRC are yet to issue any civil penalties.
Tax avoidance can be tax fraud – says government and MPs
MPs and Ministers recognise that the promotion of tax avoidance often involves fraudulent conduct which can leave promoters liable for several criminal offences.
“Amazon Tax Cut” features in Parliamentary debate
TaxWatch’s research into “super-deductions” featured prominently in a parliamentary debate.
TaxWatch launches the Tax and the Rule of Law project
TaxWatch launches new project focusing on the enforcement of the rule of law in taxation.
The Amazon Tax-Cut
The Chancellor’s announcement of a “super-deduction” on purchases of capital goods by businesses was one of the largest single-year tax giveaways ever enacted by a government.
Comparing the prosecution of tax crime with benefits crime
TaxWatch’s latest report reveals the huge disparity between the way in which benefits crime is treated when compared to tax crime.
TaxWatch included in International Tax Review’s 2020-21 Global Tax 50
TaxWatch has been listed in ITR’s Global Tax 50 2020-21, which highlights “the most influential figures and events in fiscal policy over the past year, while noting who and what will be particularly important in 2021.”
Amazon’s ballooning revenues demonstrate the need for transparency in tax affairs
Amazon’s tax structure in the UK – what exactly is going on?